YOU may think firefighters occasionally provide assistance to cats stuck in trees but local moggies are not the only animals rescued by firecrews.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service was called out to bizarre incidents including a parrot stuck in a cage, a hamster in an oven and a horse stuck in manure.

In the last four years the service has rescued 181 animals – 53 pets, 28 farm animals and 15 birds – at a total cost of £33,800.

Nigel Wilson, Operations Commander for Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service, said the cost was a “tiny fraction” of the service’s £25m annual budget.

Nigel Williams

He said: “This small spend saves significant sums that may have to be spent on rescuing or searching for members of the public who get into trouble when trying to rescue an animal themselves.”

He said the service was working to educate the public to try and reduce the figures.

He said: “We encourage dog walkers to be extra vigilant in cold weather and ensure that leads are used near frozen water courses, as ice can give way under a dog’s weight and often owners cannot help their animal without putting themselves in danger.

Comments (2)

We cutback on all services but not the Fire Brigade it seems. A few months ago it was reported three fire engines were sent to attend a pan fire that the owner had put out by the time they arrived.

We cutback on all services but not the Fire Brigade it seems. A few months ago it was reported three fire engines were sent to attend a pan fire that the owner had put out by the time they arrived.Englishman

Englishman wrote:
We cutback on all services but not the Fire Brigade it seems. A few months ago it was reported three fire engines were sent to attend a pan fire that the owner had put out by the time they arrived.

Your comment confuses me somewhat. What exactly are you suggesting, that the Firefighters should have known the fire was out before they had even set eyes on the house?

Obviously this isn't possible... so you must be suggesting that one shouldn't call the fire service when there's a fire in their house? What a great idea, let's all never call the fire service and let nearly every fire that ever starts destroy the entire building and possibly those attached to it as well... well done. Also, do you have any idea how many people have been killed or seriously injured trying to tackle fires themselves, especially pan fires?

You don't have a clue what you are on about. Better the odd false alarm or incident which turns out to be less serious than initially reported, than nobody ever calling 999 and trying to deal with every incident themselves irrespective of its severity, which would result in loss of life and property.

[quote][p][bold]Englishman[/bold] wrote:
We cutback on all services but not the Fire Brigade it seems. A few months ago it was reported three fire engines were sent to attend a pan fire that the owner had put out by the time they arrived.[/p][/quote]Your comment confuses me somewhat. What exactly are you suggesting, that the Firefighters should have known the fire was out before they had even set eyes on the house?
Obviously this isn't possible... so you must be suggesting that one shouldn't call the fire service when there's a fire in their house? What a great idea, let's all never call the fire service and let nearly every fire that ever starts destroy the entire building and possibly those attached to it as well... well done. Also, do you have any idea how many people have been killed or seriously injured trying to tackle fires themselves, especially pan fires?
You don't have a clue what you are on about. Better the odd false alarm or incident which turns out to be less serious than initially reported, than nobody ever calling 999 and trying to deal with every incident themselves irrespective of its severity, which would result in loss of life and property.Noodle999